- Title: Russia is not guilty of state-sponsored doping, says Smirnov
- Date: 20th November 2016
- Summary: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) HEAD OF RUSSIAN DOPING COMMISSION, VITALY SMIRNOV, AT THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY FOUNDATION BOARD MEETING SMIRNOV SURROUNDED BY MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) HEAD OF RUSSIAN DOPING COMMISSION, VITALY SMIRNOV, SAYING: (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION) "First of all because we know that this system (the alleged state-sponsored doping system) did not exist. So just to give you an example since 1970 I've been a part of the highest sports authorities of the Soviet Union and then Russia so it couldn't be possible for any decisions like this would have happened without me knowing." SMIRNOV TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF RUSSIAN DOPING COMMISSION, VITALY SMIRNOV, SAYING: "So after that for 10 years I've been minister for sport within Russia, within the Soviet Union. So then I was 13 years the president of the (Russian) Olympic Committee so it couldn't be possible for any kind of decisions would pass without my knowledge." SMIRNOV SEEN ON CAMERA'S VIEW FINDER (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF RUSSIAN DOPING COMMISSION, VITALY SMIRNOV, SAYING: "If a certain person is a criminal, it doesn't mean that the whole country belongs to it (the alleged systematic doping system)." REPORTER, ASKING: "Is Mr (Vitaly) Mutko a criminal?" "Mr Mutko is Deputy Prime Minister." SMIRNOV TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF RUSSIAN DOPING COMMISSION, VITALY SMIRNOV, SAYING: "May I say a few words? When I completed my activities in the IOC I was awarded the Gold Olympic Order, which I haven't received yet. But I promise those journalists who find my signature on any governmental documents about where I am supporting governmental policy in that way I will give this (Gold Olympic) order to this journalist. Thank you very much." SMIRNOV WALKING AWAY WITH A REPORTER TRYING TO ASK HIM A QUESTION FORMER WADA PRESIDENT, DICK POUND AT THE FOUNDATION BOARD MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER WADA PRESIDENT, DICK POUND, SAYING: "(What I'd say to) Mr Smirnov is say 'Look, you have an opportunity here and you can see from Rob Koehler's report that there's still a lot of institutional denial of any wrongdoing. You can't get cured, if that's the right word, until you acknowledge that there's been a problem. And so go back home where you have influence and say look, we've got to get off this dime. We've got to acknowledge there was a problem and we'll recognise and let's move forward'. But to be threatening to put anybody connected with the report under criminal prosecution, claiming it was forged or it's been falsified is not helpful. I mean these two reports, I was on one of them and (Richard) McLaren, who was on my commission, is now doing the other one; we were very careful not to step over into areas where we were not sure and so you can't then say what's in the report are simply 'allegations'. They're not, they're findings on the basis of credible evidence." POUND AT THE MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER WADA PRESIDENT, DICK POUND, SAYING: "That's been the pattern and I hope they understand. I mean, when they look at it McLaren is going to do a very careful job. I mean he's heard all of this talk out in the wheat. So he's going to say, 'Right, you don't think we've got any evidence? Here's what it is, here are the documents' and he's got God knows how many thousand documents that he can just point to and say 'I've concluded this, here's the basis. This witness, that document, these findings, these scratch marks'... whatever it may be. So I think it's going to be very hard to deny." WADA PRESIDENT, CRAIG REEDIE AT THE MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER WADA PRESIDENT, DICK POUND, SAYING: "Well I think it's good to have somebody from the sport movement at the head of WADA. I think that we've got this 'principal alternance', which is good politically but I think the sport movement probably knows more about doping than most of the political world. So to have him in place for another three years, representing sport, now a good step farther away from any complaint that he's part of the IOC mafia is good. So, no, I think we've done the right thing." VARIOUS OF REEDIE TALKING TO A WADA DELEGATE
- Embargoed: 5th December 2016 12:52
- Keywords: WADA Craig Reedie Dick Pound Smirnov
- Location: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK
- City: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001598ZBCV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russia has never had a state-sponsored doping programme according to the head of the country's doping commission, Vitaly Smirnov.
The 81-year-old was speaking at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board meeting in Glasgow on Sunday (November 20).
Russia was partially banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics and a complete suspension from the Paralympics following the findings of the McLaren report.
The initial part of the investigation found evidence suggesting there was systematic state-sponsored doping for several years. The report also prompted the suspension of the country's doping laboratory, its anti-doping agency and athletics federation.
Smirnov acknowledged there were problems in the Russian system but was adamant there was no state support for a doping programme.
"I know that this system (the alleged state-sponsored doping system) did not exist," said Smirnov, a former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee and a current honorary member of the IOC.
"For 10 years I've been minister for sport within Russia, within the Soviet Union. So then I was 13 years the president of the (Russian) Olympic Committee so it couldn't be possible for any kind of decisions would pass without my knowledge.
"If a certain person is a criminal, it doesn't mean that the whole country belongs to it (the alleged systematic doping system).
"When I completed my activities in the IOC I was awarded the Gold Olympic Order, which I haven't received yet. But I promise those journalists who find my signature on any governmental documents about where I am supporting governmental policy in that way I will give this (Gold Olympic) order to this journalist."
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called Smirnov, an IOC member from 1971 to 2015, "a person with a flawless reputation".
However, former WADA president Dick Pound, who also led the investigation into Russia before Richard McLaren's report, said Russia could only restore trust in the global community if it stopped denying the allegations of state-sponsored doping.
"There's still a lot of institutional denial of any wrongdoing. You can't get cured, if that's the right word, until you acknowledge that there's been a problem," Pound told Reuters.
"(What I would say to Mr Smirnov is) go back home where you have influence and say look, we've got to get off this dime. We've got to acknowledge there was a problem and we'll recognise and let's move forward'. But to be threatening to put anybody connected with the report under criminal prosecution, claiming it was forged or it's been falsified is not helpful. I mean these two reports, I was on one of them and (Richard) McLaren, who was on my commission, is now doing the other one; we were very careful not to step over into areas where we were not sure and so you can't then say what's in the report are simply 'allegations'. They're not, they're findings on the basis of credible evidence."
The second part of McLaren's investigation will be published on December 9 and Pound said he hopes Russia accepts the findings but it would go against what they've done so far.
"That's been the pattern and I hope they understand. I mean, when they look at it McLaren is going to do a very careful job," Pound said. "So he's going to say, 'Right, you don't think we've got any evidence? Here's what it is, here are the documents' and he's got God knows how many thousand documents that he can just point to and say 'I've concluded this, here's the basis. This witness, that document, these findings, these scratch marks'... whatever it may be. So I think it's going to be very hard to deny."
Meanwhile, Craig Reedie was re-elected for a second three-year term as president of WADA on Sunday.
Reedie, 75, has been involved with WADA since its foundation in 1999 and was elected its third president in 2013.
He had faced stinging criticism from national Olympic committees days before he stood for re-election for WADA's handling of the Russian doping scandal in the build-up to the 2016 Rio Games.
However, Pound said Reedie was the right man to lead WADA.
"Well I think it's good to have somebody from the sport movement at the head of WADA," Pound said. "I think that we've got this 'principal alternance', which is good politically but I think the sport movement probably knows more about doping than most of the political world. So to have him in place for another three years, representing sport, now a good step farther away from any complaint that he's part of the IOC mafia is good. So, no, I think we've done the right thing." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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